Animal Aid

Princess’ dad and I divorced this last spring and I moved Princess from a house with cats to a petless home. Her dad is keeping the furry kids with him, for reasons that make sense. I didnt mind the lack of vomit, pee, or poop. But.
This left my beast loving Princess pining for furry or scaly companionship. We explored the idea of a reptile… I’m just not a reptile person. I tried to get over it, no, just no.
So while Princess complained, pined, demanded, cried, attempted emotional blackmail, wheedled and begged, I scoured the local shelter listings for our new cat friend.
Ive never really gotten to choose my own feline before. They chose me or were foisted upon me. Just this time I wanted one that called to me.
Found him. His picture spoke to me. No. It really did!
He was living here at Animal Aid for the last five months after being moved from Multnomah County Animal Services. Ive had past connections (a friend adopted two cats here) with Animal Aid and I actually appreciate their somewhat stringent adoption practices. Our kitty was described as misunderstood with a lot of character… Im really good at animals with big personality. Really.
I showed Princess his picture and profile on the website.
Awwwwww! Can we go tomorrow?? he needs us!
So we did. And we fell hard. We filled out our application and they called our two references, our property manager, and our vet and this weekend he moved in. They very helpfully hung onto him for a few days while we went out of town for a previously planned vacation.
The volunteer adoption counselor brought him here with accessories and paperwork and it was clear both she and the staff wanted him to have a great home.
He does. We LOVE him already. My daughter was blissful that he slept on the foot of her bed last night. Its a great match.
Do check them out if youre looking for a rescue animal. Dont let their rules daunt you. Theyre not snooty or weird, really, they just want their animals to have a permanent loving family and do what they can to make that happen. There isnt anything bad about that.
P. s. All the animals are spayed/​neutered, up to date on their vaccinations, have had vet care, and are microchipped.

I plan on finding a new rescue at Animal Aid as I appreciate and endorse their care, concern, and philosophy of their mission.
All of the animals look incredibly healthy and well tended for. They have committed volunteers and again, I have the full sense that they put the animal’s need in priority to wishful potential owners. As far as the few disgruntled listed here, I tend to err on this rescue’s requirements and standards. Won’t even address any personality issues between the folks who wrote less than stellar reviews as I don’t care what the personality of someone is as long as their care and concern for the animal is paramount. Folks needing certain personality types should go elsewhere as it is such a non issue for an organization who rescues and cares for the animal…
For the woman with 30 years experience and not a happy person, you should especially understand any person or organization who puts the animal as priority and who represents that animal’s concern and welfare… even if it does not jive with your experience or the like. Trust me, lengthy experience in the vet pet world means nothing as some of the worst vets, breeders, and tecnnicans may have high odometers but it is meaningless as a qualification. Bottom line, these folks are on the front line of defense to ensure the care and well being on the animals they care for and this does include the potential owner and household for placement.
Total paws up and thanks to Animal Aid.

While I am glad there are people in this world who care deeply for animals but there is a such thing as «overdoing it». I have been in the animal care industry for over 30 years and have been a licensed Vet-​Tech specializing in feline medicine. All my clients will tell you how well I care for my 4 legged kids. They ALL have great Pet Insurance and are given the best care needed. Animal Aid denied my application for adopting an older cat with medical needs because I dont take my pets to the vet every year. I dont NEED to take them every year as I give them there own vaccines and ALL the care they need. I believe it is unnecessary torture to drag them kicking and stressing to the place they hate the most when they are perfectly healthy. These people are Pet Care Control Freaks and would rather an older sick cat be stuck in a boarding facility than with people that love them and can take better care of them. Bottom line, If you are willing to deal with their MEGA strict guidelines, they at least seem to care about their well being.

This place is a bit odd and off the beaten path. My friend went to adopt a cat so we checked it out. They exclusively adopt out «indoor only» cats. And you must commit to this as well as not letting outdoor animals near your indoor only cat. They should probably make that clearer on the website.
I found at least 2 staff members who were loving and knew the pets well, and one woman didnt seem to know much of anything about the animals. Most of the cats are in one big playroom. It has an odd feel to it — kind of sad — but you definitely get a better idea of personalities and are able to interact with them more in their comfort zone than at OHS. I fell madly in love with at least 2 cats while I was there. Many of their cats have special needs — Captain — the big one-​eyed cat was such a love!
It does seem as though they make the adoption process far more difficult than it need be. You will not go home with an animal that day. But on the flip side, the lovely woman at OHS said she wished their process was more stringent than it is.

Animal Aid is unlike any shelter I’ve been to because all the dogs and some of the cats are in foster care. The cats that are on site live in community rooms. There are no rows of depressing steel cages. Instead the cats get to run around, play with toys or nap in the sunshine. The Animal Aid staff members care deeply about the cats’ welfare and are always seeking ways to improve the shelter. As a new volunteer, I’ve witnessed several extremely shy cats come out of their shells and become more adoptable.
Please take a look at the cats (and dogs!) online at
or visit the shelter if you’re interested in adopting a pet from a worthy organization.

I did some volunteering here a few years back for PCC. I cant imagine a better group of cats that deserve homes! If you want a wonderful cat come here. There are soo many to choose from. Each of them have a little write up of their personalities, so you can choose the right one for you and your family! I will agree though that the people that run the place are a bit snooty wish they wouldn’t be that way. but don’t blame the animals still come here and check it out they deserve homes and donations even if the people running the place act like they are better than everyone.

The shelter houses cats and is VERY clean. Even though it is a shelter, the kitties seem content waiting for their permanent homes. The volunteers are very helpful, kind and knowledgeable about the cats. It’s obvious they are caring and compassionate towards all their animals. I have adopted 2 cats and a dog from Animal Aid. One of the cats came from a high kill shelter that Animal Aid rescued. All their animals get any necessary veterinary care (even dentals) before adoption. They work with other organizations to save animals from euthanasia. This is a great no-​kill organization that’s been around Portland for over 40 years.

I have adopted 2 cats from Animal Aid. You can tell they really care for the cats by talking to the volunteers about good matches for you and your household. It’s clean and everyone is very knowledgeable about the organization. I also chose this adoption center because it is no-​kill and because they also help people in need of veterinary care. They also partner with other organizations.

After completing a lengthy application and waiting several months, during which Animal Aid made and cancelled several appointments with us, a woman finally showed up an hour and a half late for our meeting to see if the foster dog would get along with our dog. The woman was (as previously listed here on Unilocal) arrogant and rude.
Somehow she made us feel bad for trying to help out and foster a dog?!
Beyond that, she apparently knew nothing about normal dog behavior, as she scoffed at our dogs completely normal attempts to play with the foster dog. Perhaps a trip to the dog park would be a good idea for these folks.
We will find another animal rescue to work with as this has been a complete waste of our time and not in any way a positive experience.

Probably should come to expect this from a group of people who spend so much time with cats, but the staff comes off as pretentious and arrogant. On a couple of occasions, they’ve been outright rude, even though I live nearby and came in to see what kind of cats they have with my daughter.
I half expect to return to my car after a visit to find one of the staff on top of my hood, sleeping next to the turd they just left for me. Cat Adoption Team or the OHS will be getting my business (and donations) from here on out.

Animal Aid is a clean, big house with many options for cat adoption. The cats are healthy and happy, and it’s an excellent environment to meet cats as most are free-​ranging. They have an excellent selection of all ages and types of cats with varying temperaments and personalities.
Their application process can be slow, and your personal references will be closely questioned about all their habits will their animals. Be prepared to be flexible with your choice of pet – they are very interested in making sure it will be a good fit with you and any other animals you currently live with. It is almost pet psychology exam, and you may not agree with the adoption committee’s decision. The cat will be dropped off at your house and the adoption counselor will decide if it is a healthy environment.